The interior was softly lit by several Bright Light Stones embedded in the walls, which emitted a gentle white glow. A rich, ancient scent of old scrolls permeated the air, and you could even see fine dust motes slowly drifting in the beams of light.
The bookshelves were all crafted from dark wood that looked ancient. The grain was clearly visible, and the corners had been worn smooth and warm from countless hands. Jade slips were a rare sight on these shelves; the collection consisted mostly of thread-bound books with yellowed pages and slightly curled corners. They lay there silently, as if they had slumbered for millennia, bearing the clear marks of time’s passage.
But upon careful inspection with Divine Sense, one would discover that these seemingly ordinary bookshelves were covered in countless intricate Protective Arrays. These arrays prevented prying with Divine Sense and protected the books. Furthermore, in a corner of the Scripture Pavilion, a wizened, gray-robed elder sat with his eyes closed, still as a statue, silently guarding this secluded place.
With a wave of his hand, Hong Changtian retrieved three particularly ancient, heavy tomes from a shelf, pulling them through the air.
He stroked the long beard beneath his chin, his expression growing solemn as he said to Chen Yu, "Fellow Daoist Guo, these are the Foundation Establishment Cultivation Techniques of our Three Elements Sect that I mentioned. They are intrinsically linked to the sect’s philosophy of the Three Essences: Heaven, Earth, and Man. Each Cultivation Technique corresponds to a grand path straight to the Golden Core Path. They are the supreme treasures left behind by our sect’s Daoist Masters after their ascensions."
He paused, his gaze fixed intently on Chen Yu. "Do you know what these three great paths are?" he asked.
Chen Yu cupped his fists at the perfect moment, a well-timed look of curiosity on his face. "I’m afraid I’m ignorant. I hope Elder Hong can enlighten me."
Hong Changtian chuckled merrily, seemingly delighted at the chance to recount the sect’s glorious past to his inquisitive new colleague. He cleared his throat and began to speak.
"Back then, the founder of our Three Elements Sect could halt rivers and overturn seas, move mountains and fill ravines with a single sword. With that same sword, he single-handedly held back a million-strong barbarian army from the Northern Court at the kingdom’s gates, ushering in several centuries of peace and stability for the Shengkang Dynasty. It was from that point on that the mortal and immortal worlds began to blend, securing the Three Elements Sect’s current supreme status in the Southern Border."
"And that very sword corresponds to the supreme ’Taichu Primordial Sword Dao.’ It is the essence of our founder’s lifelong cultivation, a paramount Dao representing the pinnacle of Heaven and the sharpest edge of slaughter. Even grasping a tiny fraction of its true meaning would allow one to enter the Dao in a single day, forge a flawless foundation, and your future would be limitless."
"Of course, a supreme classic that points directly to the very source of the Great Dao is more often than not like a book from the heavens—impossibly profound. Ordinary Cultivators can’t even begin to understand it, let alone glean its insights."
"The original tome left behind by the Founder himself was, in fact, a Wordless Celestial Book. Only those with supreme comprehension and great karmic fortune, grasping a sliver of the Great Dao’s true meaning in a moment of serendipitous insight, could ever hope to read its contents."
"In that case, is there no way for Foundation Establishment Cultivators to study this path at all?" Chen Yu interjected at the perfect moment.
"Not at all, not at all." Hong Changtian said with a smile and a shake of his head as he beckoned one of the ancient books to float before Chen Yu.
Chen Yu reached out and took it.
The book felt heavy in his hands. The cover, made of some unknown dark-cyan leather, was cool and resilient to the touch.
He glanced down and saw four large words written on the cover in an ancient, vigorous script—
Taichu Sword Attraction Skill
The very moment his eyes fell upon the four words, a razor-sharp sword intent, as if it could rip the firmament apart, surged from the book. Mixed with phantoms of a tempest of swords and gales, it rushed toward his Divine Sense, nearly dragging his consciousness into an illusion filled with endless sword qi.
Hong Changtian waited for him to come to his senses before calmly explaining, "It’s not as if no one after the Founder has ever fully comprehended the Taichu Primordial Sword Dao. Our Three Elements Sect’s second Daoist Master, Yun He, was one of them."
"This matriarch was originally a mortal woman from the Southern Border, born of humble origins and without a Spirit Root. Legend has it that while gathering herbs in the mountains, she had a fortuitous immortal encounter. Enlightened in a dream by a past sage, she experienced a flash of sudden insight and directly glimpsed the true meaning of the Taichu Primordial Sword Dao. From then on, she embarked on the path of immortality, advancing with unstoppable momentum, eventually condensing a Golden Core and, ultimately, ascending."
"Daoist Master Yun He was grateful for her hard-won opportunity, and hoping to make it easier for destined successors to find the path, she used her supreme wisdom and profound understanding of the Taichu Primordial Sword Dao to write the now-legendary *Taichu Sword Attraction Skill*."
Hong Changtian’s gaze fell upon the ancient tome in Chen Yu’s hands as he spoke gravely, "Although this skill is still profound, obscure, and extremely difficult to cultivate, compared to the impossibly abstruse and nearly intangible Taichu Primordial Sword Dao, it is immeasurably more clear and direct. It acts as a guide, showing future generations a viable path toward the Great Dao of the Heavenly Element."
"Mastering the *Taichu Sword Attraction Skill* is like carving a set of stairs into the towering mountain that is the Taichu Primordial Sword Dao. While it may not take you directly to the summit, it allows you to glimpse the scenery of that supreme Dao. From that point, condensing a Golden Core is no longer a remote fantasy, but something that will come naturally and effortlessly when the time is right."
Chen Yu’s heart stirred as he listened, but his eyes were drawn to the other two equally archaic books in Hong Changtian’s hands.
"Elder Hong, what about these other two books?" he inquired.
Hong Changtian stroked his beard and smiled.
"Fellow Daoist Guo, do you know why our Three Elements Sect is named ’Three Elements’?"
"Of the Three Essences—Heaven, Earth, and Man—the Taichu Primordial Sword Dao is but the ’Heavenly Element.’ As for the origin of the ’Earth Element’ and ’Human Element,’ allow me to elaborate."